My work is an exploration of philosophical and cultural synthesis in which eastern and western iconographies and cultural paradigms are meaningfully integrated, bringing together disparate materials, traditional and contemporary aesthetics, and symbolic language. I enlist and explore imagery that bridges diverse cultural paradigms in the service of transcultural communication. Over the last decade my work has been deeply inspired by my travels in Asia—especially the Himalayas where I conducted my recent 2011-2012 Fulbright research—and the deserts of the American West. These landscapes are powerful metaphors for the universality of physical and cultural forces in opposition and integration, and my selection and application of materials are reflective of these energies in eternal congress. Growing threats to these sublime geographies and their cultures are the ominous forces of global warming, demographic expansion and cultural dislocation.
Believing that the powerful and expressive potential of indigenous ways of seeing and knowing can be effectively harnessed to contemporary art practice, my work endeavors to engage the viewer on a visceral level--thereby visually accelerating meaningful apprehension of these growing forces of degradation and dislocation—increasing awareness of the interrelationship of environmental and cultural preservation. My 2011 Fulbright research fellowship, The Prakriti Project, pioneered and established the first synthesis of repoussé metalwork and contemporary painting; I continue to explore this unique congress of materials and its unlimited expressive potential in my new series Ardens Mundi (Burning Worlds)—a series of large tondi, a format favored during the Renaissance— in which I investigate issues of climate change, cultural fragmentation, and social dislocation.
Artist Biography
Maureen Drdak travels widely in pursuit of her visions; her research has taken her to Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, India, Nepal and the Himalayas; Drdak’s work references universal paradigms of mythic archetypes--both ancient and contemporary forces converge in her work. A graduate of the both the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the University of the Arts in Philadelphia-- she is the recipient of numerous honors, including the 2011-2012 U.S. Fulbright Senior Scholar Award for Nepal; her Fulbright work, The Prakriti Project, pioneered the first synthesis of repoussé metalwork and contemporary painting. Drdak has received personal support from H. F. Lenfest and Eugene V. Thaw for Lung-Ta, an interdisciplinary collaborative with international composer Dr. Andrea Clearfield inspired by the Tibetan Kingdom of Lo in the Nepalese Himalayas; Lung-Ta premiered at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia in 2009 and had its Midwest premiere at the University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Chapel in May, 2012. Her work is found in numerous public, private, and university collections within the US and abroad, among them art collectors Berthe and John Ford, Shelley and Donald Rubin (The Rubin Museum of Art), Lynda and Stuart Resnick, Emir and Sheikha Mozah of Qatar, the Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art, and Yad Va Shem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. Her exhibition history includes numerous solo and group exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad, international arts festivals, and museum and academic lecture venues by invitation. She has been the feature of media and print, most recently 6ABC News and the Philadelphia Inquirer. She had several published works to her credit, including the Asian international arts and cultural magazine, Marg. Drdak is former President of the Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Education
2011 - 2012 Fulbright research study under Rabindra Shakrya, OnMetal Shakya Atelier, Patan, Nepal
2010 - Present The Violette de Mazia Foundation, USA
2009 Private Study under Rabindra Shakya, descendant of Kuber Singh Shakya, Shakya Atelier, Nepal
1976 Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, PA
1975 Philadelphia College of Art (currently University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA BFA in Painting
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA Certificate in Painting
1973 - 1974 Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
Awards & Honors
2016 Fulbright Senior Research Scholar Award, Art, Nepal Short-listed
2017-2018 WIND Challenge Exhibition Series, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA Finalist
2014 Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts M.A. Post Award of Excellence
Fulbright Senior Research Scholar Award, Art, Nepal Short-listed
2012 Slusser, Mary. “The Art of Rabindra Shakya and Maureen Drdak: An Appreciation”, The Prakriti Project: Eternal Visions--Contemporary Forms, Siddhartha Art Gallery, Nepal
Ranjikar, Preema. “Ancient Art Revived”, eKantipur.com, February 17, 2012.
The Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies (ANHS)
Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts/The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Alumni
U.S. Department of State ECA International Exchange Alumni
Professional Experience
2016 - Present Visual Artist
Private Tutor
2014 - 2019 President of the Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
2014 Juror, Delaware Valley Art League, 2014 Spring Exhibition, Bryn Mawr Medical Pavilion
2013 Board Member, The Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
2012 Fulbright Discipline Peer Review Panel
Invited Presenter/Panelist, Institute of International Education (IIE)
Juror, Annual Ursinus College Student Exhibition, Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art, USA
2011 U.S. Embassy Speaker, Kathmandu University Centre for Art and Design, Kathmandu, Nepal
2009 Lung0Ta Premiere Benefit, Philadelphia, PA
2008 Guest Speaker and Contributor for the Berman Museum of Art Auction Expansion Fund Raiser
1995 - Present Owner, M. DRDAK DESIGN
1987 - 1995 Master Designer, Franklin Mint International, creative head of 25-man design team for $800m corporation
1976 - 1987 Freelance Designer
1972 - 1976 Private Painting Instructor, Albert Sanski Art Center, Haddonfield, NJ
Philanthropy
2016 Lungta-Compasssion, Intercultural Salon for the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia, Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, PA Honoring former Philadelphia Mayor, the Honorable Michael Nutter
2015 Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art Sale, September 14, 2015, Bonhams Galleries, New York, NY
2011 Artist Contributor; New York for Nepal, Benefit—Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust, Rubin Museum, New York, NY
2009 Lung-Ta Premiere Preview for the Benefit of Lo Kunphen School and Clinic-Tenzin Sango Bista Guest Speaker, Philadelphia, PA $5,000.00 raised for Lo Kunphen School and Mentsikhang
2008 Guest Speaker and Contributor for the Berman Museum of Art Auction Expansion Fund Raiser
Lectures and Talks
2019 Forthcoming, Presentation, “Eternal Visions—Contemporary Forms,” Rotary Club of Jenkintown, Jenkintown, PA
2018 “Eternal Visions—Contemporary Forms,” South Asian Studies Association (SASA), Claremont McKenna College, CA
2017 “Consuming Shangrila: Identity Politics and Contemporary Himalayan Art”, Himalayan Studies Conference, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO Curator: Elena Pakhoutova. curator of Himalayan Art, Rubin Museum of Art, New York. Roundtable
Convener/Panel Presenter, South Asian Studies Association Conference (SASA), Claremont McKenna College, CA
2015 “Eternal Visions—Contemporary Forms,” Professional Artist Lecture, the Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA
“The Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts: Historic Mission and Future,” Vision, Artist Lecture; PAFA Art-at-Lunch Program, (Public), Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA (4.01.15)
2014 Convener/Panel Presenter, South Asian Studies Association Conference (SASA), Westminster College, Salt Lake City, UT
“Contemporary Art Production in the Land of the Living Gods,” Invited Panel Presenter, The Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies (ANHS) Yale University
“Contemporary Art Production in the Land of the Living Gods, ‘ Artist Lecture; Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), MD
2013 “The Prakriti Project,” student and faculty presentation, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
“Contemporary Art Production in the Land of the Living Gods,” Artist Lecture; McDaniel College, MD
“Contemporary Art Production in the Land of the Living Gods,” Artist Lecture; Walters Museum, Baltimore, MD
2012 “Contemporary Art Production in the Land of the Living Gods,” Artist Lecture, PAFA Art-at-Lunch Program, (Public), Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Phila. (10.24.2012)
“The Prakriti Project,” artist talk, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA
“The Prakriti Project,” presentation, Fulbright South East Asia Regional Conference, Cochin, Kerala, India
Nepal TV interview with Shova Manandhar for Aankhijyal and Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists, Nepal
“Eternal Visions—Contemporary Forms,” Artist Talk, Nepal Cultural Studies Group, Siddhartha Art Gallery, Nepal
“Craft or Art? Locating Differences”, Artist Talk, Facilitator Tejesh Man Shakya, Siddhartha Art Gallery, Nepal
“The Importance of Critical Thinking and Analysis for Efficacy in Creativity,” Presenter, Lasanaa Alternative Art Space, Nepal
2011 Selection Panel, Techné Kala Grant Awards, Lasanaa Alternative Art Space, Kathmandu, Nepal
“The Prakriti Project,” Invited Speaker, The Lincoln School, Kathmandu, Nepal
“The Prakriti Project,” Presenter, Fulbright Commission, Kathmandu, Nepal
“The Prakriti Project,” U.S. Embassy Speaker, Kathmandu University Centre for Art and Design, Kathmandu, Nepal
“The Visual Syntax of Contemplative Touchstones and Archetypal Paradigms”, Invited Speaker, Calstate University-San Marcos and Southwestern College, USA
2010 “Three Women; Three Stories,” Artists Talk, Twelve Gates Gallery, Philadelphia, USA
2004 “The Ashes of Isaac,” and “Ex Voto,” Artist Lectures, Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art, PA
Exhibitions
Solo and Two-Person
2019 Weeping Banyan, Taragaon Museum, Saraf Foundation, Hyatt Regency, Kathmandu, Nepal Curator: Roshan Mishra, Museum Director
2016 Independent Perspectives: American Women Artists in Nepal, U.S. Ambassador's Residence, Kathmandu, Nepal
2015 Mixed Media: Maureen Drdak and Youdhisthir Maharjan, Siddhartha Art Gallery, Kathmandu, Nepal Curator: Sangeeta Rana Thapa
2013 Passage from India: Siona Benjamin and Maureen Drdak, Towson University Asian Art and Culture Center, Towson, MD Curator: John Gilmore Ford
2012 The Prakriti Project: Eternal Visions - Contemporary Forms, Siddhartha Art Gallery, Kathmandu, Nepal (Catalog) Curator: Sangeeta Rana Thapa
2010 From Mustang to Mosul, Lawrence Gallery, Rosemont College, Bryn Mawr, PA
2009 Lungta, Indigo Gallery, Kathmandu, Nepal
Lungta, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2008 The Planes of Aspiration, Penn College of Technology/Penn State University, State College, PA
2007 The Planes of Aspiration, West Chester University, West Chester, PA
Ex Voto, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
2006 Ex Voto, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA
2005 Maureen Drdak: Recent Works, Charles More and Associates, Philadelphia, PA
Ex Voto, Chestnut Hill College, Chestnut Hill, PA
2004 Ex Voto, Phillip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art, Collegeville, PA. (Catalog) Curator: Lisa Tremper Hanover, Museum Director
Group
2019 - 2022 Bridging Cultures through Art, Art in U.S. Embassies Exhibition, U.S. Ambassador’s Residence Kathmandu, Nepal Curator: Sarah Tanguy, Art in Embassies, U.S. Department of State
2019 Downriver in the Multiverse, PAFA Alumni Gallery, PAFA Museum, Philadelphia, PA Curators, Anna O. Marley, PAFA Curator of Historical American Art, Hiro Sakaguchi, and Brittany Webb, Curator of the John Roden Collection
Innovation and Vitality: 150 Years of Alumni from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Avery Galleries, Bryn Mawr, PA
FAME 2019, HOT • BED Gallery, Philadelphia, PA Curator, Juror: James Oliver, Gallery Director, James Oliver Gallery
2017 Fellowship of PAFA 188th Annual Exhibition, Historic Landmark Building, The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA Juror: Kristen Jensen, curator, James A. Michener Museum
2016 Fulbright Alumni Artist Exhibition, Gelman Library, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
Take Ten: The Gallery Celebrates a Decade of Contemporary Art, The Gallery at Penn College of Technology, Penn State University, State College, PA Catalog
2015 Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art, Bonhams Galleries, New York, NY September 14, 2015
Women Artists of Philadelphia, Artist House Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2014 Fellowship of PAFA 115th Annual Exhibition, Historic Landmark Building, The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA Juror: Elizabeth Osborne
2013 There is No Why Here, Larry Wasser Gallery, Florida Holocaust Museum, St. Petersburg, FL
2012 from portrait to self-portrait, Patan Museum, Nepal Elsa Peretti Foundation
2010 Three Women, Three Stories, Twelve Gates Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Iraqimemorial.org Exhibition, Sheppard Fine Arts Gallery, University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, NV
2009 Continuum, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ
2008 5th Annual Betsy Meyer Memorial Exhibition, Main Line Center for the Arts, Haverford, PA
2007 4th Annual Betsy Meyer Memorial Exhibition, Main Line Center for the Arts, Haverford, PA
2005 Area Artists 2005, The Siegel Gallery, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA
2000 Art of the State: Pennsylvania 20000, State Museum, Harrisburg, PA
International Art Festivals and Collaboratives
2012 Lungta, Exhibition and Chamberwork Performance, Midwest Premiere, Rockefeller Chapel, University of Chicago, IL
2nd Kathmandu International Arts Festival: Earth/Body/Mind, Patan Museum, Siddhartha Art Gallery, Nepal
2009 1st Kathmandu International Arts Festival: Separating Myth and Reality, Patan Museum, Siddhartha Art Gallery, Nepal
Lungta, Exhibition and Chamberwork Performance Premiere, Network for New Music, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
